Amb. Trevor Traina is a serial entrepreneur having founded and co-founded five successful technology companies, which were all sold to acquirers such as Microsoft, Mastercard, and Intuit. He is currently Head of Business Development and Partnerships for Tools for Humanity, a technology company focused on developing tools for digital identity and blockchain. Amb. Traina took a break from the tech industry to serve as the Ambassador to Austria from 2018 to 2021 and is credited with helping usher in an era of “new closeness” between the two countries.

In a fireside chat format, Amb. Traina discusses his entrepreneurship endeavors, the leadership lessons he has learned in both tech and public service, and where he sees the tech industry heading in the future.

Aravind Srinivas co-founded Perplexity in 2022 because of his own curiosity about a more transparent and verifiable AI-powered search experience while he was a researcher at OpenAI, Google, and DeepMind. Through his leadership, Perplexity is one of the largest AI companies, with a base of over 30 million active users and 780 million inquiries. His work Questions the Status Quo in the constantly evolving landscape of AI.

In a fireside chat format, Aravind discusses his journey as a founder, shares insights on the expansion of the AI landscape, and reflects on the impact of Perplexity’s mission to support the world’s curiosity. The session concludes with an audience Q&A.

Listen to the full conversation here.

David Ko, CEO of the sleep and meditation app Calm and author of the book Recharge, shares his leadership journey from investment banking to purpose-driven leadership. Since 2022, he’s guided Calm’s work in over 190 countries, supporting millions of people seeking to improve their wellbeing.

Ko describes “the battery check,” a simple framework for starting conversations about mental health, describes how burnout happens when leaders don’t explain the “why” behind decisions, and shares some candid personal anecdotes.

The conversation is hosted by Professor Sameer Srivastava and led by UC Berkeley Haas students Avanika Lal and Esa Tilija, both MBA 26. The joint Dean’s Speaker Series and Berkeley Center for Workplace Culture and Innovation event took place at the Haas School of Business on September 30, 2025.